1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to memory apparatus for use in a data processing system and particularly to the mounting of magnetic head arms in a rigid magnetic disc memory apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Magnetic disc drive memory apparatus usually have one or more rigid rotatable discs coated with a material which permits storage of data on and retrieval of data from the disc surface. To accomplish the read and write operations a recording head is positioned adjacent to the surface of each disc. During operation of the memory apparatus, the heads are moved parallel to the surfaces of the discs to position the read/write gaps of the heads adjacent to the appropriate location on the disc surface where a read or write transaction is to take place.
A common type of rigid magnetic disc unit is the "IBM 3350" style disc drive. This unit has a plurality of magnetic rigid discs co-mounted about a central, spinable shaft. Each disc has one or more magnetic heads associated with it. The heads are mounted on head arms, up to four heads per arm. The head arms are mounted in a channel of the magnetic head carriage such that the head arms move in unison across the surface of the discs as the carriage moves. A typical head arm for use in this type of unit is the "Model 335004" manufactured by Applied Magnetics.
In the prior art the carriage channel is difficult and costly to manufacture in that the prior art method of accommodating the head arms requires a substantial amount of machining to be performed on the channel. In addition, the prior art technique used for mounting the magnetic head arms in the channel requires slits to be made in one of the channel walls. The channel structure is weakened by the presence of the slits and unfavorable resonant frequencies can result, causing degraded head arm performance.
The present invention relates to a novel apparatus for mounting of magnetic head arms in a magnetic disc unit which is free of the above-mentioned disadvantages and problems.